Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JANUARY 04

In A Spill Both The Carrier And The Receiver Are Potentially Targets For Prosecution

Two plea bargains concluded in 2017 by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, one on February 27 for Trimac Transportation Services Inc., and the second on November 22 for Lafarge Canada Inc.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

2017

DECEMBER 14

Sunrise Propane Appeals Against Conviction and Fines Dismissed

Another chapter in the saga of Sunrise Propane came to a close at the end of November when the Ontario Superior Court dismissed all appeals under environmental and occupational health and safety laws from the convictions and fines totalling more than 5million dollars.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

DECEMBER 05

ERT Forces Settled Appellant And Director To Seek Submissions Of Public At Pre-Hearing Conference

In SEJJ Environmental Solutions Inc. v. Ontario (Environment and Climate Change)[1], a decision of the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal released on November 24, 2017, the Tribunal forced an appellant and the Ministry Director who settled the appellant's appeal before any Pre-hearing Conference had been held, and before any other "parties, participants or presenters" had been identified by the Tribunal, to essentially seek the input of these third parties before it would consider approving the settlement...

NOVEMBER 03

In a decision released on October 31, 2017, a three judge panel of the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a September 21, 2017 decision by the Court of Appeal motions judge that required the Ecuadorian plaintiffs in this case to post $942,951 as security for costs as a condition of proceeding with their appeals to the Court of Appeal...

SEPTEMBER 08

On September 1, 2017, the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal in the matter of Hamilton Beach Brands Canada Inc. et al. v. the Director, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change made a preliminary ruling that the Director had jurisdiction to make an order under s.18 of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) requiring a person who owns or owned, or has or had management or control of a contaminated undertaking or property to delineate contamination that had already migrated to off-site properties.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JULY 27

Supreme Court Of Canada Affirms That Rigorous Regulatory Processes Can Fulfill Crown's Duty To Consult With First Nations

On July 26, 2017 the Supreme Court of Canada clarified in two decisions, both involving National Energy Board (NEB) approvals, that the Crown may discharge its duty to consult with First Nations through steps taken by a regulatory agency, providing that agency's statutory duties and powers enable it to do what the duty to consult requires...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JULY 17

Federal Discussion Paper On Environmental And Regulatory Reviews

Consistent with my comments offered in May of this year when the Expert Panel Report on the review of environmental assessments (EA) was released, the Federal Government's June Discussion Paper on Environmental and Regulatory Reviews has carved out a larger role for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the National Energy Board (NEB)...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JUNE 07

Canada ratifies convention on supplementary compensation

On Wednesday June 6, 2017 the Permanent Representative of Canada to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ambassador Mark Bailey, delivered the instrument of ratification to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano at a ceremony at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria...

APRIL 12

On April 5, 2017 the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change received her report from an expert panel of four, comprised of three lawyers with significant environmental and aboriginal law experience as well as a retired senior executive of a resource company...

APRIL 05

On April 3, 2017 (ONSC 2078) Ontario Superior Court Judge Frank Marrocco denied the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 an interlocutory injunction restraining implementation of random drug and alcohol testing of members of the Local until the completion of an arbitration hearing into the validity of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) drug and alcohol testing Policy...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

FEBRUARY 08

Court Terminates Pollution Enforcement Action As Against Canadian Subsidiary Of Chevron

On January 20, 2017, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice released a summary judgment decision in the case of Yaiguaje v Chevron Corporation, terminating a civil claim by Ecuadorian plaintiffs against Chevron Canada Limited ("CCL")...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JANUARY 27

In an oral judgment released today in R. v. Bedard, the Supreme Court of Canada has confirmed the elements of the defense of officially induced error, as set out in its 2006 decision in Lévis (City) v. Tétreault...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JANUARY 24

Ontario Court Of Appeal Makes Significant Limitations Ruling

In a decision released January 11, 2017 - Crombie Property Holdings Limited v. McColl-Frontenac Inc. et. al - the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a summary judgment decision of the Superior Court of Justice that dismissed a civil lawsuit seeking damages for property contamination based upon the running of a limitation period...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

2016

DECEMBER 20

Key Developments in Environmental Law 2016

Edited by Stanley Berger, Key Developments in Environmental Law 2016provides expert insight into the landmark environmental law issues of the past year. The publication is an insightful collection of articles and includes: FederalEnvironmental Assessment Law: Two Nuclear Projects Clarify the Decision Makers’ Discretion, by Stanley Berger and Patents in Environmental Technology, by Eugene F. Derényi.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

DECEMBER 08

New Regulations And Proclamations Under The Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016

As reported in our November 28, 2016 Energy and Environmental Law Newsletter, on November 30, 2016, the new Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 and its two scheduled statutes, the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 were proclaimed into law. The old Waste Diversion Act, 2002, was repealed...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

NOVEMBER 22

Decision and Implications On October 13, 2016 the Saskatchewan Queen's Bench in Consumers' Co-operative Refineries Ltd.(CCRL) v. the City of Regina 2016 SKQB 335 held that information in a major instance hazard assessment report, prepared by Marsh Risk Consulting so that CCRL could obtain approvals from the City and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) to expand its refinery, should not be publicly disclosed. CCRL had appealed decisions by both the City and the MOE to release redacted versions of the hazard assessment report to a journalist under both the Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act SS 1990-91, c L-27.1 and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act SS1990-91 c F-22. These statutes, dealing with the rights and obligations of the City and MOE respectively, mirror access legislation both federally and in other provinces around the country...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

SEPTEMBER 29

Ontario Ministry of Environment Risks Liability Once it Becomes Involved in Remediation Decisions

On September 16, 2016 the Superior Court of Ontario in Swaita v. The Queen (Ministry of Environment ) (2016) ONSC 5785 dismissed the Crown's motion to strike a statement of claim and action arising out of a spill involving the release of approximately 9000 litres of petroleum on Shell property, 100 feet from the plaintiff's property...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

SEPTEMBER 26

Four Recent Decisions Raise Concern About Parity in Sentencing

Four recent Ontario Provincial Court sentencing decisions - two under the Occupational Health & Safety Act ("OHSA"), and two under the Environmental Protection Act ("EPA"), throw into high relief the disparity of sentencing approaches under the two statutes, and suggest that environmental offences may be drawing disproportionately high fines...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

AUGUST 17

Cap and Trade is Coming to Ontario Is Your Business Ready?

The Province of Ontario is introducing a Cap and Trade Program over the next few months to address climate change. If you own or operate a facility generating more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), you need to be aware of some very firm and imminent deadlines and their potential impact on your business.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JUNE 29

Due Diligence Defence Available To Employers Whose Employees Hit Gas Lines In Ontario

On June 28, 20161 , the Ontario Provincial Offences Court found Coco Paving Inc. ("CPI") not guilty of a s.14(1) Environmental Protection Act ("EPA") charge that was laid by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change ("MOECC") in response to a gas line that was struck by a CPI employee.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

JUNE 28

Ont. Court Of Appeal Confirms City Can't Substitute A Different Access/Transport Route For One Specified In REA

On September 1, 2015 we reported in Fogler's Environmental and Energy Newsletter that the Ontario Divisional Court in Wpd Sumac Ridge Wind Inc. v. Corp. of the City of Kawartha Lakes 2015 ONSC 4164 quashed a resolution passed by the City.

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

MARCH 22

Sentencing Reasons Just Released in Sunrise

On January 25, 2016 Ontario Court Judge Chapin fined Sunrise Propane Energy Group - the operator, a numbered company - the holder of the lease, the insurance policy and the licence under the Technical Safety and Standards Authority, and two directors of the company, a total of $5.3 million for a propane gas explosion...

Lawyers:

Areas & Expertise:

APRIL 01

Bill on Local Food Act Re-introduced

In an effort to promote the local food industry in Ontario, Kathleen Wynne (Premier of Ontario and Minister of Agriculture and Food) reintroduced a Bill to propose the Local Food Act, which aims to increase awareness and encourage economic development of the local food market.